By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL — The final hurdle is always the hardest.
On the last lap of a season long run at a state championship, Williamston must now try to succeed where the previous four East Regional winners have failed: They must beat the Bishop McGuinness Villains.
At first glance Williamston would appear to be the favorites when these two teams tip-off at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill toady at noon.
The undefeated Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the state by NCPreps.com and have won 29 games in a row this season. They are the Four Rivers Conference regular season and tournament champions. They boast one of the best players around in future East Carolina Pirate Katie Paschal, who with 3,142 career points is second on the state’s all-time scoring list.
However, the Beasts From the East are largely viewed as underdogs heading into their battle with Bishop due to the reputation the Villains have built over the last few years and the fact that the are a perfect 4-0 in the last four state championship games.
Out of all the seasons full of success eight-year coach Brian Robinson has had at McGuinness, this year might be his best coaching job of all of them.
Robinson lost seven of his top nine players from last year’s state championship team, and despite fielding a roster that features only two seniors, has led them to a 22-7 record and back to the Dean Dome for the fifth straight year.
McGuinness did not win their Northwest Conference, but nabbed sectional and regional championships and is the No. 3 ranked team in the state according to NCPreps.com.
The Tigers’ only state appearance came in 1995 when they lost 62-37 to Murphy and finished the year 19-10.
Behind first-year coach Hughes Barber, Williamston has been the favorite in just about every game his team has played this year, but the rookie coach said he doesn’t mind the role reversal.
“I think that’s fine, obviously we are the underdogs based on the fact that they are the four-time defending champs,” Barber said. “We are going into it thinking they are the best team we have played this year, but at the same time we have to bring some confidence in as well.”
Today’s game has a ton of intriguing aspects to it, but the most interesting battle will be between both team’s star guards.
Paschal powers Williamston with her state-leading 33.7 points per game, along with her 7.8 rebounds and team-best 5.1 assists per night. The 5-8 guard also has a team-high 164 steals.
The Villains are led by point guard Megan Buckland, who one day could join Paschal in the Pirates’ backcourt as the junior is currently being recruited by East Carolina.
The 6-0 Buckland is posting 20 points per game and broke her school’s record for most points in a season with 579.
“I have heard a lot of good things about Buckland, she is about 6-feet tall and she can shoot the three real well … I think as a team the shoot really well,” Barber said.
Like Paschal, Buckland is her team’s second-leading rebounder (7.9 rpg), while she is tops in assists per game (4.6) and the Villains leader in steals with 142.
Buckland has been lights out this season from behind the arc, having made 48 percent of her three-point attempts.
Paschal has been no slouch from downtown either, as she has hit on 42 percent of her three-pointers.
Both players’ blend of athleticism and a deadly accurate shooting touch will make calling the right defense a nightmare for both coaches today, as each player is capable of shooting down a zone and blowing by their defenders.
The Tigers, a pressing team, might have a tough time trying to pressure McGuinness for two reasons. First, last year’s state championship game MVP Buckland is an excellent ball-handler and second, the court at the Dean Dome is much bigger than Williamston’s.
The larger court could be a huge X-factor for both teams. A bigger court is going to make it harder for Williamston to trap and pin down the Villains’ ball-handlers and will likely cause fatigue faster.
However, being pressed on a larger court could force McGuinness into longer passes, which could be stolen more easily.
Whichever teams adapts and makes the right adjustments faster will have a big advantage.
 The success of each team is going to way heavily on each star’s supporting cast, as Paschal and Buckland head into battle with a young but talented crew.
The Tigers surround Paschal with sophomore guards Zakkeya Morris and Courtney Wynn, as well as senior forwards Shakera Norfleet and Cassie Harrell.
Morris, a point guard, is the team’s second leading scorer averaging 9.9 points per game while dishing out 3.3 assists per night.
Wynn is a scrappy defender who contributes 5.1 points per game and is second on the team in steals with 71.
The 5-8 Norfleet and 5-10 Harrell are routinely asked to do all the dirty work down low and on the glass, and score when needed. Norfleet averaged 5.7 rebounds a game, while Harrell leads the team with 8.3 boards a night.
Williamston has received solid bench play this season and will ask a lot from freshmen reserves Dasia Moore and Jo’Neka Brown, along with junior Charnell Jones.
Jones is generally the first big off the bench and does a nice job on defense. Moore tends to bring more offense to the game, while Brown greatest contribution is her energy on the defensive end of the court.
Staring alongside Buckland is 6-0 senior forward Erin Fitzgerald who is the club’s leading rebounder (8.6 rpg) and the team’s second-leading scorer with a 9.3 points per game average.
Sophomore Sammi Goldsmith is second on the Villains in scoring with an 8.6 ppg average, while 5-9 sophomore Sarah Coon adds five points a game and 5.9 boards a night to the mix. Sophomore guard Marie Petrangeli adds nearly five points a game while tallying 1.3 steals and 1.3 assists per night.